Emperor's Proposal
by Ethereal Whisper
Summary: One surprised second. Two enraptured souls. Three enchanted a heart-skip. Do tell me they were not coincidental.
1. Step I : Meeting You

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing other than the storyline and cover image. All applied materials belong to their respective owners.

**Warning: **Female Kuroko. A ticket to an excruciatingly slow, awkward but fluffy ride.

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**皇帝の提案**

**Emperor's Proposal**

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Step I : あなたに会った

– Meeting You –

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– First Glance –

It was by Chance

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A girl with light blue waist-length hair walked up a set of staircase with a recyclable plastic bag stuffed with a couple of sandwiches and a bottle of water in her clutch. It was lunchtime at Teiko Junior High School. The girl was on her way to her favorite spot, a place where she could enjoy the view of the city from above. She walked past chattering students, her attention split between her surroundings and a book in her hand. A male clique whizzed down towards her, forcing her to press her body against the wall to avoid the impact. None of the obnoxious males bothered to turn and apologize. She could not blame them though.

She had a very weak presence after all.

Swaths of high window glasses transmitted patches of sunlight into the corridor, drawing skewed rectangular reflections on unblemished floor tiles. Her step unwavering, climbing other sets of staircase, side-stepping incoming breathing beings hurdles, hugging the wall all the way until she finally faced a single door. Her pale fingers wrenched the door open to rooftop.

Glaring sunlight seeped into her clear sky blue eyes, causing a momentary wince at the brightness. She sat down on the hard surface against the wall, slight warmth from the surface pricked at her thighs. She laid her book on the floor then dived for her sandwich. Plump pink lips nipped at tip of the triangular bread, teeth grazing its ham and fresh cucumber. Bits by bits she savored the flavor, occasionally drinking her water until she finished both sandwiches.

The girl reached for her abandoned book she got for free from a fellow Library Committee's member and flipped to the page a bookmark was tucked in. The book was a popular romance novel, not particularly her preference. It gushed about innocence of first love, bitter sweet approach on the subject and the infamous happy ending. She dozed off a few times when she was reading walls of text.

It was boring.

She had looked forward to something more, deeper observation of human behaviors since the title was: _Our Wordless Exchange_. She expected thorough depiction from the leading characters' visions of their surroundings, how a set of glances could send points across, and definitely not the repetitive mushy inner debates the characters went through. If there were things she picked up from the novel, it would be the six phases, first to sixth glance.

_Would it happen in real life?_

Seeing as she had a far-fetched mindset, it had a fair chance to occur in her opinion.

_Who would she meet?_

She did not have the answer to that question. It could be anyone. It could also be no one.

The girl came to the last page of the novel, heaving an audible sigh to celebrate the end of the story. Lunch break was almost over. She collected her stuff and trudged down the same path she took earlier, dropping her meal waste into a nearby bin. Step by step down the staircase, tips of her fingers danced along the railings.

That was when she saw his eyes.

Blazing crimson clashed with pools of soothing blue for a split second. Neither stopped their steps nor did they keep the eye-contact. As she descended, he kept ascending until his regal figure rounded a corner and disappeared from sight.

That was the first time a person met her eyes at first glance.

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– Second Glance –

I Wondered

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"Let's go to the auditorium! Our school has a practice game today!"

Other similar excited murmurs could be heard from her classmates, male and female alike. The girl tidied up her desk, putting her books into her dark blue bag. From what she gathered, Teiko had a long history in sports, exceptionally so in basketball. She recalled a random basketball match she watched the night before. To her surprise, it had been an interesting one. The intensity, the flip-flopping game flow and fluid movements drew her in like moths to a flame. Idly she entertained the urge to watch a live match in Teiko's auditorium.

After a five-minute walk from her class, the auditorium was in her vicinity. Not surprising, throngs of students were elbowing their ways to her destination.

The girl walked to the entrance, a tentative step into the turbulent weaves of students and soon she was swept away by waves of pushes. It was not a pleasant experience. But since it delivered her to the foremost line of students, she had no complaint. Clutching her bag to her side, she scanned the spacious auditorium. There were quite a number of players scattered on the courts, each donning Teiko-emblazoned jersey with a proud smile.

Her face betrayed no emotion, a contrast to her elated surroundings.

"Wow, look at them! What an aura they have!" a boy piped up from her left.

"Aren't they the newly-appointed first-years?" Another voice joined in. "I heard they snatched their current positions from the seniors."

Her attention swiveled to the direction the boy was looking. A group of players was finishing their warming-ups at the other side of the court. One of them had his robust back facing her, a towel draped over his hair, sweat sticking to his number four jersey. His height was noticeably shorter than the others. Roughly, he had a good five centimeters on her.

Her object of focus turned to regard the crowd with unreadable expression.

Those eyes, regal posture, and distinctive aura around him screamed authority. It was the same person she encountered earlier. She averted her eyes to a tanned male beside him, self-consciously aware of her rudeness for staring at a complete stranger. The girl assessed the taller male for a moment. He seemed like a friendly guy with his cheerful demeanor, a total opposite from a certain number four player.

Players began to assemble at the center of the court in unison. The long-awaited game started with a shrill blow of whistle. Spectators from both supportive and offensive teams cheered with zeal.

"That guy with red hair, isn't he a freshman? Why is he wearing the number four jersey for captain?" a brunette behind her pondered aloud.

"Stupid! It's because he _is_ the current captain!" a girl from her right reprimanded.

She imbibed the small piece of information, eyes unwavering from the fierce showdown on the court. The tanned male dunked in the first basket with a wide smile, bursting yells from the crowd.

The ball bounced off the surface, a standby opposing point guard shot the ball with full force, attempting for a fast break. Their power forward had begun rushing to the other side on the first bounce and caught the ball in time.

"You're not getting away!" the scorer's long legs closed the distance rapidly.

"You–!"

"Nice effort but," sapphire eyes glinted with joy, "it's not that easy." He slapped the ball off the equally tall power forward's hold.

"Damn!" the player cursed darkly.

The girl watched the ongoing match with rapt attention, excitement coursing through her body. Her face was still as expressionless as ever.

"We're taking one back!" the opposition's captain instructed. He lunged to Teiko's territory. Slanted eyes darted to their shooting guard before passing over the ball.

"Don't you dare look down on us, first-years!" The shooting guard quickly switched to his shooting stance after getting hold of the ball.

"Naïve."

Someone tapped the ball away from his grasp. "Wha–!?" He looked down to find a blur of red ran pass his right side with ease.

"Defense!" the captain howled frantically. Two players set up a defensive combo immediately.

"Out of my way." A flat voice commanded, his long fingers dribbling the ball. Shifting the ball to his left hand, he pivoted on his right ankle and rounded one of them, moving closer to the hoop.

"Why you–!" a much taller player blocked his peripheral. His height towered over the shorter male, much to the number four's irritation.

"I said, out of my way." Bending down, he applied more force to his fingertips, angling the ball slightly to the right and bounced it off the floor from under the opponent's dangling left arm. His body slipped under the right arm as the big center player's focus was distracted. His arm stretched out for the ball and leaped to score another basket for Teiko, earning another explosive yell from thrilled spectators. His scarlet-streaked white sneakers landed back on the polished floor with a miniscule thump.

But that was not what intrigued her. It was the sidelong glance he sent her as he walked to his marked victim.

_One brief exchange…_

_Two silent seconds…_

And his eyes diverted back to the game.

That was the second time their gaze locked.

_Was it really by chance?_

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– Third Glance –

It could not be a Coincidence

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The match was awesome. Teiko practically annihilated the opposing team with the score of 81-35. She did not stay long after the match was over since there was hardly anything interesting left to observe. She admitted the regulars were an interesting bunch. But it was not wise to stay and ogle at them though.

_Not if that number four were aware of my presence anyway._

Thinking of him, she wondered how he could spot her amongst the crowd. Her weak presence should have prevented him from detecting her. Perhaps he identified her when he scanned the crowd before the game started? Still, that did not explain the sidelong glance…

"Yesterday's match was unbelievable! I never knew our school had such a good team!" a nearby bespectacled boy said to his companions.

"Of course they're good! They're our regulars!"

"Heh…" Another boy drawled. "Didn't they usually use second and third stings for those games?"

A girl drilled her forefinger into the boy's upper arm. "Who cares about that, as long as we get to see them play then it's all good." She sighed dreamily. "Aomine Daiki's so cool… I could watch him play all day long…"

"Aomine?" the boy furrowed his brows. "Ah! The tanned one? He's amazing!"

The light blue-haired girl stared at her classmates. They were busy discussing the matter without realizing she was situated at their back.

"I think jersey number four is also amazing." She dropped her two cents nonchalantly, shocking her classmates out of their shells.

"Woahhh! Where did you come from?!"

She eyed her classmates accordingly. "I have been here for a while."

"You could've at least said something if you'd been here!" her female classmate chastised.

"Kuroko, why did you say that number four was amazing?" the glasses boy asked.

She gave them a blank look. "He controlled the game well with his swift ball-handlings and passes. His play style was calm and carefully designed to draw the best out of his teammates without overexerting himself throughout the game."

_Like an emperor with pawns to toy with…_

Her classmates blinked dumbly at the explanation. "I didn't know you're a basketball-junkie, Kuroko…"

Kuroko blinked back owlishly at her wavy-haired female classmate. "I am not a basketball-junkie. That was simply a portion of my observation."

Her reply rendered four of her classmates speechless for a few seconds.

"A-Anyway, that number four's their captain. It's a given that he's able to control the game flow."

Kuroko vocalized her agreement with a single "yes," ending the group's conversation efficiently as their teacher entered the class.

She could feel drowsiness lulling her to deep slumber. She almost regretted her decision to stay up late to finish reading a collection of poems. Her original plan had been to pay the library a visit and borrowed some novels after class yesterday. The basketball match did a good job trashing her plan out the window. Additionally, it was impossible to visit the library today because she had to restock her dwindling groceries.

_Well, there is always tomorrow…_

"That's all for today. Prepare yourselves for upcoming pop quizzes."

The class groaned miserably at their Math teacher's warning. Not only did he faithfully give out tons of homework but also love to surprise students with advance level quizzes, effectively ushering the poor students to cram more than necessary.

Kuroko bid good-byes to her fellow classmates and walked out the class. As she went down to first floor, she checked her shopping list written on a small piece of paper to make sure she did not miss anything important. She was getting used to doing this ever since her parents were tasked to go on extensive business trips, leaving her to tend to herself most of the time.

Kuroko's steps stopped at her locker. Faintly, she could hear voices ringing louder as steady thumps of shoes headed her way. Her corner of eyes caught a sight of three tall males and a… average-height male.

_… Isn't he the one from yesterday?_

"Akashi, are you sure about taking in Haizaki?" the green-haired boy directed his question to the person in front of him.

"I make no mistake, Midorima. We have a vacant position." Akashi stated matter-of-factly, hauling his sneakers out of his locker.

"But that attitude of his…"

"When that time comes," Akashi interrupted, "I will deal with him personally. It would be a waste to let go of someone with such a skill."

Midorima found no valid point to counter his captain's perception. As long as Haizaki behaved himself, there should be no problem. It would leave a nasty remark on their team if that delinquent went overboard. "Fine. We'll see how long he'll last then."

Kuroko inconspicuously eavesdropped the small conversation. In her defense, it was totally unintentional. She bent down to retrieve her indoor shoes. Strands of straight light blue hair parted at the nape of her neck, revealing a smooth column of pale skin to a certain red-haired captain who had been very much aware of her presence from the beginning.

"Akashi?" Midorima called out to the static point guard.

Kuroko straightened up, spontaneously whipping her head to the boys' direction out of curiosity.

Captivating crimsons trailed to her blue-hued orbs, ensnaring her whole being.

_One surprised second…_

_Two enraptured souls…_

_Three enchanted a heart-skip…_

_..._

_This… could not be a coincidence…_

* * *

**Author's OTL Note:** Continue? :O


	2. Step II : Subtle Emotion

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing other than the storyline and cover image. All applied materials belong to their respective owners.

**Warning: **Female Kuroko. A ticket to an excruciatingly slow, awkward but fluffy ride.

...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...

**皇帝の提案**

**Emperor's Proposal**

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Step II : 微妙な感情

– Subtle Emotion –

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– Fourth Glance –

It was a Surprise

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_Does he know me?_

Kuroko mulled over the question for the umpteenth time in the hushed darkness of her room, head rested against the edge of windowpane. The marble windowsill she sat on bequeathed cold from surrounding chilly air. Her fingertips dented concave prints on silky beige curtain. Flickering silvery contours of moonlight saturated the opaque floor as her wrist swayed feebly.

Picturesque pieces of earlier encounter awakened, flashing an accentuated memory of a peculiar skip of heart at the sight of his eyes. She could not decipher the message beneath his unnerving gaze. It was detached, parched of any emotion, but seized an opportunity to pluck her heart-string at the final third second, the moment her breath betrayed her and slunk away in silence.

She had broken off the three magical seconds then left school ground afterwards, toting confusion on her way to the local market a couple of blocks away from her house complex. The uneventful trip failed to shake off the growing confusion from her cluttered mind. It clung to her consciousness even after dinner and massive amount of homework.

Kuroko slid down the windowsill, bare soles pressed down onto immaculate tiles, furtively treading to her bed. The enigmatic captain was beyond her comprehension. That, or maybe she was digging too much into the matter… Midnight-shaded blue orbs dimmed out in the midst of her jumbled thought.

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"Good morning, Sugawara-san." Kuroko greeted her fellow Library Committee's member courteously, startling the brown-haired girl.

"Whoa!" Sugawara patted her chest dramatically. "Good morning, Kuroko. You gave me a fright there!"

"I apologize." Kuroko walked by her left side toward the school gates. "Thank you for the novel. I finished reading it."

Sugawara could not believe what she just heard. "Did you just say you _actually_ finish _that_ novel?"

Kuroko eyed her friend from the corner of her eyes. "I did."

Sugawara bumped her palms together, a loud smacking sound attracting nearby students' stares. "How was it? Did you finally understand the essence of pure young love?!" She squealed at the blue-eyed girl, gaining more conspicuous stares. "It's a wonderful emotion, don't you think so? I'm glad I gave a copy to you!"

The stoic girl turned her gaze to the pathway, refusing to regard the flimsy subject. "It was boring," she added.

Sugawara's cheerfulness depleted at the flat voice. "Is that so?" Being used to the bluntness, Sugawara frowned at Kuroko's remark for another reason. "Why did you finish it if it's boring?"

The light blue-haired girl seemed to take the question seriously. A slight knit of brows was all the sign she gave away. Recalling a part of the novel she had taken a liking to, she muttered, "There were these six phases mentioned in the novel…"

Sugawara chuckled. "Oh? You're into that fictional mushy stuff for real?" Her forefinger made a windshield wipers' motion. "There's no way it'd happen in real life!"

Kuroko's thin brows ironed out into her usual blank expression. "I must be imagining things."

Sugawara's ears perked up at the murmur. She grabbed Kuroko by the arm, detaining her from escaping. "Is there anything you didn't tell me, hm?"

"…" Round blue eyes darted to vast sky, avoiding the mischievous look the brunette shot her. "Nothing in particular."

Sugawara squinted in suspicion. "So, there _is_ something going on, eh?" She grinned at the quiet girl. "Don't worry, I'll find out eventually!" She patted Kuroko's upper arm twice, her mocha eyes caught a glimpse of someone as she was about to turn to the front.

"Please don't." Kuroko blurted. "As Sugawara-san said, it is fictional." She insisted on not meeting the brunette's eyes to minimize unnecessary slip of tongue. That was a miscalculation on her part for bringing up the six phases. She should have known it would have catapulted right back at her.

"Kuroko, you went to our school's basketball practice game, didn't you?" Sugawara asked, her soft tremulous utterance fizzling the once bland atmosphere between the two.

The random change of topic piqued her interest, granting her an excuse to hook her attention onto her jittery friend. "I did, since I was free of library's duty on that day." Kuroko was inwardly astounded by the abrupt change of attitude. "Is something the matter?"

The brunette protruded her hand from under Kuroko's right arm, linking their elbows together. Her voice lowered several volumes, "We're going to run for a bit. On three, got it?"

Kuroko blinked, "Eh?"

"One–" The brunette tugged their elbows in assurance.

"Sugawara-san, what are you–"

"Two–" Her hold morphed into a vice-grip.

"Please wait–"

"Three!" She dashed off dragging her puzzled companion, sparing a look at their back as they approached the main gates.

_That person was there!_

"Ah–" Kuroko stumbled on her first step but managed to keep up with her kidnapper. "Sugawara-san, why should we run?"

The addressed girl huffed out a breathless reply. "I don't know what you did to _that_ person, but… He's been staring for a while!"

_… That person?_

"I can't stand his intimidating stare!"

_… Intimidating?_

_It can't be…_

Kuroko whirled her head to search for his presence, her stride breaching the main gates' grey linings. A few meters from her, a mop of distinguishing red hair narrowed her focus onto him. Strolling into the school ground was the very same person that had been occupying her mess of a mind for the last two days, the first person who identified her amongst rows of crowds.

The only person who could find her from distance apart.

"That's Akashi! Akashi Seijuro from the basketball team!"

Kuroko's barreling stride distorted, dislodging her arm from the brunette's grasp. She ignored her friend's call, eyes colliding with his equally blank ones. Her lips molded a greeting in silent movement.

"_Good morning._"

The male paused in mid-step, tiny surprise nullifying his impassive composure.

That morning marked their fourth clash.

The day she learned of his name.

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– Fifth Glance –

It was a Secret

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Dazzling sun ebbed away as tick-tacks of passing seconds escorted daylight into late afternoon's embrace. A secluded reception desk by the door housed a light blue-haired girl in the barren library, her pale fingers flipping pages of a thick supplementary math book for clues to her unsolved problems. Her mind chanted colorful equations and formulas she found in the book to no avail.

_This isn't going anywhere…_

She stood up to get a drink from nearest vending machine to refresh her singed nerves, leaving her math workbook unfurled on the desk. One last look at the extensive library, she closed the door quietly, pocketing the key without locking the door. A five minute walk would be sufficient for her errand.

_There should be no more visitors at this time._

Little did she know, a certain red-haired captain intruded the library after her departure. He had intended to fetch a can of lemonade after today's practice but the slightly ajar door roused his curiosity. Vividly he remembered his object of interest had talked about a book this morning. He was unabashed at the fact he was caught staring. Though, he admitted he was rather surprised she greeted him. Despite it being within his calculation, he did not expect she would make the first move.

She was, indeed, peculiar.

Akashi stepped inside. Sharp eyes scouted every corner of the room before settling on a book to his left. He reached for the workbook and scanned the content, definitely not impressed with the result. There were too many mistakes to his liking. Tearing a sheet from a memo notepad on the desk, he jotted down important points and practical ways to deal with the problems.

Prior to returning the book to its former position, he inspected the front page. It read:

黒子 哲美 – Kuroko Tetsumi

He set the book down with the note on top of it. Judging from the unlock door to books and lights in the room, she should be back soon. Akashi walked out the library, minding to close the door firmly before proceeding toward his original destination. In a few more steps, he would see her figure around the corner. It was imperative to know that much, for the future plan he designed would involve the girl after all.

It was still a secret.

_That's why..._

The fifth time he gazed into her soul from that pair of sunset-tinted blue eyes, he concealed them.

_This plan._

_Foreign emotion._

_And unsettling foreboding._

When unforgiving future unfolded, he wondered if she would hate him for his ruthless scheme.

_…_

Obviously, he knew the answer.

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– Sixth Glance –

A Seal

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There was no mistake.

Kuroko lifted the white piece off the book, marveling at the neatly-written equations.

His handwriting.

He had been the sole presence she captured in the otherwise empty corridor. The note must be from him. She put it in between pages of her workbook, exactly where he had laid it upon. She was not sure why she suddenly had an urge to decamp from the library. She did not know, but…

Somehow, she wanted to see him.

Kuroko gathered her scattered books from the desk, fingers flicking off the lights. Soft clacking of her shoes deserted the library after a resounding click of door locking. An impeccable desire to hear his voice was bubbling inside her.

It was out of her character.

To be this desperate for a sight of him, it was absurd.

It _should_ be absurd…

She deposited her indoor shoes and set out to search for him. The school ground was engulfed in serenity, simmering under golden light. The usually active auditoriums were eerily quiet, no sign of living beings. Wicked breeze prodded her alabaster skin, prompting her to leave immediately.

The girl racked her brain for an idea of his whereabouts as she walked. The city was bustling with fabricated noises. Lights lit up alongside busy streets, casting molten pools of artificial sheen on solid surface. She paid heed to none, until a white building with flowerbeds barricading the open terrace permeated her train of thought. She pushed the double door open, allowing herself an entrance into the restaurant. Her eyes swept over groups of students and stopped at four shades of colorful hair, minus a familiar red hair.

"Dai-chan! That's mine!" a pinkette fumed.

"Get more, Satsuki. I'm hungry." A tanned teen she recognized as Aomine Daiki drawled in reply.

"Mou! Dai-chan! You just had your _teppanyaki_, didn't you!" the pink-haired girl protested, but ordered another serving of _yakitori_ nonetheless.

Kuroko observed the two started to bicker like an old married couple. She tuned them out as she settled comfortably in a table two rows behind them, her back facing the group. A silhouette sauntered closer, a phone in his clasp. Red hair, white blazer and black pants defined his profile from afar.

_There he is._

She fixated on him. Even though she was sure he wanted to convey something through series of exquisite glances, she was not sure if it were wise to gauge for a clue willingly. An edgy inkling as if she were lured into unforeseen abyss was disturbing.

Akashi halted a couple of steps away from her seat, garnet eyes boring into her crystal blue orbs. A split second flutter of icy blue eyelashes intoxicated him to entertain the girl. It might be too early to execute his plan but the temptation to test the water was irresistible. Perhaps, instead of water, he might be playing with a passionate fire.

"Good evening, Akashi-kun." She greeted formally out of habit. "If you do not mind, please take a seat."

Akashi nodded in agreement, easing himself onto a seat across from her. "Good evening, Kuroko-san. To what do I owe this pleasant surprise?"

She leveled her own expressionless mien against his unreadable one. "I know they were not coincidental," she cut to the chase. "Please enlighten me of your intention."

Akashi stared at her intensely. "Interesting," Akashi calmly replied. "I have never seen a girl as interesting as you."

The girl was stunned. The way he phrased the statement was undoubtedly fishing for misunderstanding. It sounded like… dare she say, a sort of ambiguous confession?

"That did not make sense, Akashi-kun," she retorted. "We know nothing about each other."

A waitress interrupted their constant staring competition, requesting their orders. Akashi decided on _Uiro_, traditional steamed cakes and green tea while Kuroko opted to have a vanilla shake.

"Is that all you have for dinner?" Akashi questioned with a hint of disapproval.

"It is fine. I am not hungry." Kuroko dismissed the waitress. "I see Akashi-kun is not eager for dinner as well."

Both resumed their staring contest. An awkward silence descended between them until the previous waitress arrived with their orders, setting them down respectively before excusing herself with a timid bow.

"Eating out is not my preference," Akashi revealed after a while.

Kuroko swirled her vanilla shake. "There is a good reason for Akashi-kun to be here then."

"Indeed." Akashi nudged the _Uiro_ toward the light blue-haired girl.

Kuroko peered at the delicate confectionery which was served in six bite-sized cubes dipped in three different colors. "Akashi-kun should be responsible for this," she reminded.

"I refuse to be the only one eating," Akashi sipped his green tea.

Kuroko sighed at the redhead's discreet stubbornness and picked up the relish fork. She punctured a pink cube, offering it to the redhead. "If that is the case, Akashi-kun should have the first bite."

"…" Akashi was caught off guard by her impulsive act. Fortunately, he did not choke on his drink. "Fine." He landed his drink on the table and elevated his hand to grip her slim wrist, guiding the small cube into his cavern.

Kuroko stayed silent as the redhead savored the flavor, acutely aware of his warmth seeping through layers of clothes.

"It is my turn now." Akashi switched the possession of the relish fork to his right hand, releasing her wrist from his hold. He deliberately chose a green cube, motioning the girl to accept his offer.

Gingerly, Kuroko leaned forward to let the cube glide past her lips. As she was about to lean back, Akashi's left fingers reached out and gently tucked her stray strands of hair behind her ear. The gesture froze her movement.

"Green signifies possessiveness," Akashi presented her a small smile for the first time. "It is impossible to attempt an escape now."

Kuroko stared bewilderingly at the male across from her, a new-found tingly sensation budding inside her.

The continuation of third glance rang clearly in her subconscious…

_Four hailed a surprise…_

_Five enclosed a secret…_

_Six bestowed a seal…_

_…_

_This person… would be the death of her…_

* * *

**Author's OTL Note:** Uh... Fail chapter? D':


	3. Step III : Want to Know You

**Gratitude to both guests and signed members**: I am very grateful for the wonderful support until now even though I had no way to thank anonymous reviewers personally. I sincerely apologize for my rudeness. Honestly, without readers' encouragement, I would not have been able to finish this chapter.

**Special thanks to: **Eurwen and Arcana. You have no idea how much your words meant to me when I was depressed.

* * *

Please proceed and try to stay alive from the cuteness-awkwardness combo that will ensue.

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing other than the cover image and non-canon part of the storyline. All applied materials belong to their respective owners.

**Warning: **Female Kuroko.

...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...

**皇帝の提案**

**Emperor's Proposal**

...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...

Step III : あなたを知りたい

– Want to Know You –

...-...-...-...-...-...-...

Chatters. Incoming customers. Nearby occupants.

Kuroko failed to register any of their existence. If she had been in a different predicament, it would have been impossible to lose focus of her surroundings because of words alone.

She blamed his searing touch.

And said culprit still had the barely visible smile etched on his feature, taunting her to bite the bait he just threw at her.

"Akashi-kun is weird," Kuroko managed after grinding the cake to pieces. "I am not escaping anywhere soon."

Akashi withdrew his hand, putting the relish fork down, his expression serious, "You are aware of my intention, aren't you, Kuroko-san?"

Sweeping up her glass of vanilla shake, the long-haired girl denied, "I apologize. The implication slipped past me." She took her time sipping her drink from the white straw. "However, I am sure Akashi-kun could pardon me for asking this." The girl met his eyes with determination to make the male confess properly.

"What does Akashi-kun truly desire?"

The question was sharp and straightforward, picking at the lock to his Pandora box. There was no way he would let her open it easily. It was never an option to let other people know of his secret. For now, he would concentrate on extorting fun from the peculiar being in front of him who was already back to sipping her sweet drink.

"You."

Kuroko choke on her vanilla shake at the unexpected answer, quickly turning sideways to cough out her surprise. Garnet eyes glinted at the scene before him with amusement. Oh well, if she could be blunt enough to ask the question, he should pay her back earnestly with an equal bluntness, shouldn't he?

Unconsciously, another smile graced his lips.

It was really fascinating to see pink hue tinting tips of her ears and flushing her cheeks. He never knew the usually stoic girl could be this adorable. Perhaps she did not even realize how beautiful she looked at the moment with the intensifying shade of red evident on her pale complexion. He decided rousing such a reaction from her would be very rewarding to his personal satisfaction.

Kuroko turned to the redhead with a slight pout, obviously not amused by his answer.

Seeing a chance to tease her more before she started criticizing him, Akashi reached for his red-cased phone and touched a certain icon.

_Click._

Akashi flipped his screen to her direction, a picture of her flustered look plastered on the wide screen. Akashi triumphantly earned himself a flabbergasted look from the girl. "I am keeping this," he sounded smug of his achievement.

For the first time in her life, Kuroko did not know where she should start addressing matters at hand. There was this issue about him wanting her for God-knew-what reasons. Then there was the audacity of the male to snap a picture of her ridiculous state. An indescribable fluttering feeling in her stomach was also not helping at all.

"Please refrain from teasing me, Akashi-kun." Kuroko was miffed. "And please delete that picture."

Akashi slipped his phone back into his pocket, blatantly ignoring her request. "I meant what I said," he emphasized with a serious tone.

Surreptitiously nudging the confectionery he ordered back to him, she replied, "I have nothing to offer to Akashi-kun."

The red-haired captain picked up the relish fork, "I highly doubt that." He pinned a pink cube, "Despite what you believe in, I am entitled to my own opinion."

Kuroko eyed the cake he thrust at her, this time making sure to tuck stray strands of her long hair before accepting the dish. "Why does it have to be me? We hardly know each other."

With a mockingly deadpan expression on his face, Akashi answered, "Because I said so."

Other people would have been irritated by the haughty reply but Kuroko simply blinked at him, expecting an elaboration. She even dramatized with a firm nod of consent, as if she were granting permission for the redhead to continue.

The redhead twirled the utensil in his hold, "Albeit having a weak presence and expressionless, you are quite observant." A white cube squirmed under his prodding, "Come to the main auditorium when you are off library duty." He would rather have someone who possessed good manner and quietness than untamed screaming banshees by his side. Satisfied with a soft "yes" he received, he punctured the white cube.

"Akashi-kun," her index finger tapped the table once, asking for the fork. "Thank you for the note. It was surprising Akashi-kun would help me out with my homework."

Akashi handed her the utensil but stayed silent. He knew she would look for him if he left her a note. It was a sly move to grab her attention in order to monopolize her presence for this evening. He was not looking forward to explain himself thoroughly.

"Murasakibara, where did Akashi go?" a gruff voice reached both teens, dissolving their tranquility.

"They are looking for Akashi-kun," Kuroko toyed with the pinned white cake. "Is it fine for Akashi-kun to be here?"

Akashi heaved a small sigh. "It is fine. They will be here in a minute anyway."

The girl hummed in reply and delivered the white cube to his lips. "Akashi-kun's teammates seem interesting."

Under normal circumstance, Akashi, who had been raised with proper manner and discipline befitting for an heir to a wealthy family, would not have accepted food from shared utensil. It was considered rude in high class society and was frowned upon, especially in public places.

She was an exception.

Screw etiquette. He would not let his father's teaching dictate every nook of his life.

"Yes, each of them is an interesting individual."

The girl was contemplating on the next cube when a languid voice piped up from her right. "Ara~ Aka-chin, what are you doing here? The others are looking for you~"

Akashi shifted his focus from the girl, "My bad. It would have been rude of me if I had not entertained my guest."

The abnormally tall intruder looked to his left, spotting a petite girl blinking up at him. "Good evening," she greeted with a nod.

"You are–"

"Yo, Akashi. You've got the wrong table. Ours is there," Aomine Daiki jabbed his thumb at their original table.

"I am at the right table, Aomine. I have a guest here," Akashi leered at Kuroko, leading the tanned male's focus to the light blue-haired girl.

"Whoa!" Aomine exclaimed. "Sorry, didn't see you there, eh…"

"Kuroko Tetsumi," the girl provided. "Good evening, Aomine-kun."

Sapphire eyes squinted at the girl, "How do you know my name?" His long arm hung over her chair's top rail, "I'm sure I've never seen you before."

A twinge of displeasure throbbed in the captain's vein at their proximity. "Both of you–"

"Ah! Midorin, Akashi-kun is here!" the pinkette from earlier waved a green-haired male over.

Akashi heaved his second sigh of the evening, "Don't make a scene. People are watching." He turned to the tanned male beside his object of interest, "Aomine, give her some space."

His guts warned him to heed the command, "Oh, sorry." He dragged the chair beside her, giving them some space before plopping down. He did not understand why his captain directed his unreadable but somehow menacing stare to him.

"Akashi-kun, why are you eating here?" the pinkette asked, completely oblivious to the other girl's presence. "You could've ordered the _Uiro_ to our table there."

Akashi regarded the pinkette, "Momoi, I am not alone. Kuroko-san has been accompanying me for a while."

Momoi frowned, "…Kuroko-san?"

"I am here, Momoi-san."

The pink-haired girl finally pinpointed the other girl. "Wah! I'm sorry for not noticing you, Kuroko-san!" she bowed in embarrassment.

"All of you, take a seat properly," Akashi ordered sternly.

The tallest of them sat at the redhead's right side, leaving the green-haired teen a seat by the window. Momoi occupied the seat beside her childhood's friend, across from the green-haired male. Kuroko stared at a stalk of rose in the glasses teen's hold.

_…Is he going to propose?_

"I assume all of you are done with your meal?" Akashi inquired.

Aomine crossed his arms, "We're about to get some desserts but Satsuki insisted on waiting for you." He sent an accusing look to the pinkette.

"We're celebrating our first practice game victory! Of course we couldn't eat without our captain's presence!" she chastised, poking his arm with her elbow.

"Aka-chin ate _Uiro_?" the purple head inclined to the abandoned confectionery. All eyes were cast upon the mentioned dish before them, waiting for an answer.

When garnet eyes found their target of blue pools, he dropped the bomb, "Both of us were sharing the cakes before you came."

Simultaneously, the other four whipped their attention to the quiet girl, hyper aware of the only relish fork resting on the plate.

_…They used the same fork?!_

Kuroko diverted her focus to her drink, suddenly feeling self-conscious under the team's scrutiny. Aomine's droopy eyes widened comically, his childhood friend followed suit with a gape. Murasakibara managed a blink after the initial shock passed by.

"Akashi, do you need this lucky item of mine?" the green-haired male jibed and lifted his rose, offering it to his captain.

"…" Akashi glared at the bespectacled male, "I do not appreciate your joke, Midorima."

"…Wasn't that an indirect kiss?" Momoi murmured in the background, her face resembled a ripe tomato.

Kuroko stiffened at the input. Now, _that_ certainly had not crossed her mind. Was that how nowadays girls saw things? She did not understand what the big deal was. A kiss was a kiss. There should not be an indirect version of it…

Sensing discomfort from the blue haired-girl, Akashi promptly warned, "Behave yourselves. I am not in the mood for another joke."

The table was dead silent after the ultimatum.

Unable to quench his sweets-craving any longer, Murasakibara took the initiative to get a slice of chocolate cake. Midorima asked for the same treat. Momoi picked strawberry shortcakes for herself and the tanned male, much to the latter's chagrin.

"…" Kuroko sipped her less-than-half drink. "Akashi-kun, I am full."

Busying themselves with their own sweets, the four newcomers listened on with rapt attention, leaving the other two in their own world.

"That was not what we agreed on," Akashi leaned forward. "You will finish them for me."

Refusing to give up, the girl suggested, "One for each of us."

"…You are stubborn," Akashi scooped up a white cube.

"…" Kuroko hesitated to take in the treat. She knew the other four were waiting impatiently for some sort of _action_ both of them would perform. She opened her mouth to deny the cake but the redhead took the chance to slip the small cube into her cavern.

"That was not so hard, was it?" Akashi smiled at the pouting girl, putting down the fork.

Momoi swallowed a cough that threatened to disturb the public display of affection. Aomine struggled to keep his eyes on the innocent shortcake before him, feeling extremely uncomfortable. Midorima sat rigidly in his seat, absently wondering if the red rose on the table were actually an omen. Murasakibara could not care less as long as he had his dessert.

"Green signifies possessiveness…" Kuroko recited, pinning the last cube. "That is a superstitious statement."

Akashi feigned confusion, "I thought it was based on psychological analysis."

Kuroko frowned at the information. The redhead might have a point there. "Even so, I do not believe human's psychological value is limited by color choice." She fed him the last cake. "Surely by giving this green _Uiro_ to Akashi-kun does not mean I own Akashi-kun, does it?"

Momoi failed to restrain her cough this time, her face beet red. Aomine's fork fell to his plate with a clank. Murasakibara stopped munching his cake while Midorima gripped his rose tightly for the sake of his heart's health.

Akashi folded his arms, flashing an exclusive smile at her, "I was thinking otherwise when I gave you the previous one."

"…"

The other four spontaneously stood up with bags clutched tightly to their sides. They finally got the hint that their captain was irked by their intrusion into what was supposed to be his private time.

"Akashi-kun, Kuroko-san, we'll be taking our leave first. There's something we need to do," Momoi forced a smile, waving stiffly at the addressed duo. "See you both at school!" Her voice echoed in their wake.

A short respite befell the couple.

"Akashi-kun, that was mean," Kuroko finished her drink.

The captain chuckled, "I was serious about what I said though." He could see mirth sparkling in her crystal blue eyes. "You were enjoying their reactions, weren't you?"

Kuroko replied with a bright smile, "I refuse to answer that."

* * *

**Author's OTL Note:** Dear readers, did this chapter make you smile? :O


	4. Step IV : First Visit

**Gratitude: **Thank you for the continuous support, lovely readers! Responses to anonymous reviews could be read from my profile page.

**Note: **Sugawara is a canon character. She is Kuroko's classmate as mentioned in the Drama CD. I do not own her but I did set her appearance and personality since there was not much information revealed about her.

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing other than the cover image and non-canon part of the storyline. All applied materials belong to their respective owners.

**Warning: **Female Kuroko.

...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...

**皇帝の提案**

**Emperor's Proposal**

...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...

Step IV : 初めての訪問

– First Visit –

...-...-...-...-...-...-...

Lush icy blue eyelashes fluttered, impelling drowsiness from her eyes. She loved Japanese history. Sitting for its class during anytime of the day would be a pleasure as long as it was not the last class of the day when she could hardly concentrate anymore. Dabbing away drops of sleepiness, Kuroko cupped her chin in her palm. The redhead's words infiltrated her idle thought.

"_Come to the main auditorium when you are off library duty._"

That had sounded more like a command than a request. She would be glad to visit the main auditorium, seeing as the captain himself had gone through the trouble seeking her out and implied permission for an outsider like her to frequent the place. One single question surged in her mind though, why would he need her presence there?

"_Albeit having a weak presence and expressionless, you are quite observant._"

Her subconscious suggested she should take the redhead's words more seriously. At least she had adequate tact to figure out he wanted something from her. Something only she could pull off, related to basketball, being observant, expressionless…

…_And being his?_

Kuroko instantly slapped down the preposterous idea. She was sure even if she had got a good sense of humor, she would not have found that funny at all. Especially if the declaration came from him, there should be a catch. She was not the type to affirm her personal opinion based on first impression. But that person was a different case. He was too sharp and tactical to advance without a plan.

Akashi Seijuro was scheming.

She had a feeling she would not like its result. There was no use to confront him directly as well since he did not seem to mind playing some guessing games for now. His amused eyes when he talked, smiles he flashed her, they were intriguing phenomena in her life. This was the first time she wanted to observe someone closely, anticipating what said person would do until he achieved what he was aiming for.

This game he set up, she would not miss it.

The invitation he initiated was the key to this game they would be playing for a while. It was a challenge, his way to assess her for some unknown reasons. She would go along with his antics, searching for each missing puzzle until she pieced them all together to have a clear view of his plan. She sincerely hoped she would not fall too deep to the point she had no way to back out.

"…-ko?"

"Kuroko!"

Blue eyes blinked up at the source of her distraction, "Yes, Sugawara-san?"

"The class was over. We're on cleaning duty now," she informed. "What had you in a daydream this time?"

Kuroko stood up from her seat, tucking the chair under the table neatly, "It was nothing."

The brunette handed her a broom, "Come to think of it, you greeted _the_ Akashi Seijuro, didn't you?" She moved to tidy up nearby chairs, "I never knew you know him."

Laboring in sweeping the floor, Kuroko replied, "Yesterday was the first time we actually talked to each other." Moving on to back rows, she continued, "I do not know anything particular about him."

A chuckle followed after her reply, "That's not what I heard from our students this morning!"

Kuroko stopped her work, wondering what her gossip-manic classmate meant, "What do you mean, Sugawara-san?"

Expecting the light blue-haired maiden to ask her just that, she stated, "Seems like your relationship isn't a platonic one." The brunette shot her a devilish look, "Now, spill. Since when did you go out with him?"

Kuroko almost lost her grip on the broom at the out-of-the-blue question. The redhead's teasing about him desiring her replayed in her traitorous mind. "We are not in that kind of relationship," she deadpanned. Tightening her hold with more force than necessary, she asked, "What made you think so, Sugawara-san?"

The brunette was all happy-go-lucky to blabber the reason, "The restaurant you went to is Teiko students' popular hangout spot! Most of them saw you both having a little _date_ there!" Kuroko was about to rebut but the brunette pressed on, "Feeding each other justified their suspicion! Do you want to see the picture they took? I think I got one here!"

The last part murdered her rebuttal. Weakly, she defended, "I forgot it is our students' hangout spot…"

A picture was thrust to the light blue-haired girl's face, "See? _The_ Akashi Seijuro was feeding you in this picture! That's certainly _something_!"

She recognized the scene in the picture. It was taken from sideways when the redhead first fed her the _Uiro_. The smile on his face as he told her the psychological interpretation of green color, her caught-off-guard expression, it was like a cut-out scene from a shojo manga her friend here loved to read.

The brunette smirked at her, "I'm sending this to you! I'm sure you'll want to treasure his gentle smile!"

"…" The energetic brunette left her speechless. How should she react? Saying thank you for the brunette's concern in current context sounded terribly wrong…

"There you go! Should I help you set it as your wallpaper?" Sugawara made her move towards the blunette's bag.

Kuroko whisked past the brunette, lugging her bag from her table, "It is fine, Sugawara-san." She moved to another row, far away from the brunette's reach, "Let's finish cleaning the class. I have library duty after this."

The brunette asked with a big grin on her face, "So you admitted you're his girlfriend?"

The term 'girlfriend' was definitely uncalled for. "I admitted nothing. Both of us are not involved in such an amorous relationship. We are just…"

_Just… what are they exactly?_

"…Acquaintances," she finished lamely.

"Sure, whatever floats your boat, Kuro-chan!" The brunette gave her a thumb up, "Good luck!"

The shortened form of her name did not go unnoticed by the girl. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

"Thank you, Sugawara-san."

...-...-...-...-...-...-...

The library was unusually filled with students after school, each engrossed in searching for books. It reminded her of their upcoming final tests. After an hour of arranging books back to their shelves followed by completion of today's homework, Kuroko shuffled her books into her bag and locked the door, steadying herself for her first visit to the regulars' auditorium.

Walking down the pathway, Kuroko could hear vibrant squeaking against polished floor. The rebounds of ball dribble and occasional yells from first string's players as they practiced against one another drew her closer. Going through the glass doors, she entered the compartment. Further into the building, twin green doors, one of which was slid to the side, welcomed her into the spacious auditorium.

On the courts, Teiko's players were unrelenting in their extended practice. Sweat glistened on their skins as they moved around under the indoor lights. She recognized Aomine Daiki was dribbling the ball away from his fellow teammates with his usual wide smile.

"Aomine, cut us some slacks!" a player shouted at him.

"Haha… No can do, senpai!" Aomine yelled back with a grin. "I don't want to be chewed out by captain!" Stopping, he took stance for a three-pointer.

"Concentrate, Aomine," a fast arm aimed for the ball, liberating it from the tanned male's grasp.

"Whoa–!" Startled, Aomine turned his body sideways out of reflex. "Akashi!" He ran after the perpetrator with a feral grin on his face.

"Hmph. Amateur," a green-haired teen screened him, making way for the redhead to reach the two-point area.

"Murasakibara! Get the ball!" Aomine shouted at a purple-head on the shaded lane.

"Eh~ But it's Aka-chin~" The tallest of the first string's players drawled, objecting to the tanned male's demand.

"Oi! Aren't you teaming up with me?!" Aomine protested, breaking free from the green-head's zone.

"Never let your guard down, Aomine," Akashi reprimanded, shooting the ball with precise accuracy.

"Ah!" Aomine watched helplessly as the ball went through the basket, bouncing off the floor with a low rebound.

The girl drank in the sight before her, admiring their dazzling selves from afar. She could tell that the members of the team truly loved basketball. Regulars or not, the basketball club's members took practice seriously. None of them complained about practicing until late in the evening.

"You go first!" a girl in a white shirt whispered to her friend.

"No way! You go first!" her friend nudged the girl from behind.

Kuroko eyed the whispering girls beside her, already getting used to people forgetting about her existence.

"He's looking at us!" one of the girls squealed, fretting over someone apparently.

"Oh my, he's coming here!" the other joined in the squealing. "Let's go!"

Sky blue orbs followed the girls' movement, noticing them stopping in front of someone.

One of them offered a towel, "Akashi-sama, here's a towel for you."

…_-sama?_

"Thank you," the redhead replied politely. "We are grateful for your perpetual support."

The girls giggled, blushing from the kind words, "It's no problem at all. Please do your best in Winter Cup tournament, Akashi-sama!"

"We will," Akashi smiled in return. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have someone waiting for me there," Akashi made his way past the girls.

"Tetsumi," Akashi regarded his object of interest.

Kuroko was conflicted whether she should point out she was uncomfortable with the way the redhead addressed her or not, "Good evening, Akashi-_sama_."

Akashi gave her an endearing smile, "That was not how you addressed me yesterday, Tetsumi."

The girl tilted her head to the side, "That was not how Akashi-_sama_ addressed me yesterday either."

The redhead walked closer to the girl, "Do you dislike my new way of addressing you?"

Standing her ground firmly, Kuroko replied, "It is not about disliking it. It makes me feel uncomfortable."

Akashi slung the towel over his shoulder, "I applaud your honesty. However," a prevalent glint of amusement preserved for her alone shone in garnet eyes, "Perhaps I really should address you so starting today."

Her inscrutable mien betrayed nothing, "Pardon me, I am not aware Akashi-_sama_ and I was that familiar with each other."

"Even after our little date the previous evening?" a disappointed look marred his face.

"DATE?!" The girls from before shrieked, obviously eavesdropping on their conversation.

The blunette blinked innocently, doing her best to ignore the outrageous looks thrown her way, "Privilege is granted, not self-proclaimed."

Akashi's smile widened at the jab, "Very well. I shall earn the privilege in due time then."

"Oh! Kuroko-san, you're here!" Momoi rushed over to the pair and haphazardly handed the girl a blue towel, all the while avoiding eye contact with the supreme captain standing there before scurrying off to distribute towels to other players.

"…" Kuroko stared at the item in her hold. Why did the pinkette hand her a towel? She was not even sweating. If there were anyone who was sweating, it should be…

"What will you do with that?" Akashi asked, his smile never leaving his feature.

"I believe this is what I should do." Kuroko shrunk the distance between them, draping the towel over his damp hair before gently running her fingers through the blue towel in attempt to dry locks of blazing red.

His smile vanished from his feature. Scent of water lilies wafted through their close proximity, rooting the redhead to his spot. Her ministrations immobilized his functioning brain, heightening his sense to inhale more of her sweet scent.

Closer…

He needed to be closer to her…

Her scent...

Her touches...

He wanted to own her everything…

The thought almost tipped him into madness.

Oblivious to the redhead's dangerous notion, the girl slid the towel down to the nape of his neck to let it absorb droplets of sweat pooling there, "Akashi-kun?"

Her call shook him off his stupor, "What are you doing to me…"

Kuroko retracted her fingers from the blue towel, "I apologi–"

"Don't you dare apologize," his tone was serious, bordering on scary.

The blunette met his eerily captivating gaze. There was no fear in her own as she stared deeply into his being.

The white towel from the girls landed to the floor as Akashi lifted his fingers to her chin. Tilting her head to the side, he whispered into her ear, "Because I will not be sorry for what I will do to you in the future." He could feel the girl quiver slightly at his lowered voice, "This fire you ignited is too late to be extinguished."

* * *

**Author's OTL Note:** Is it a bit hot or is it just me? :O


	5. Step V : Harbinger of the Ash

**Gratitude:** Thank you for all the wonderful reviews, favorites and alerts! Responses to anonymous reviews could be read from my profile page. Sorry about the repetitive alerts to your mails OTL

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing other than the cover image and non-canon part of the storyline. All applied materials belong to their respective owners.

**Warning: **Female Kuroko.

...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...

**皇帝の提案**

**Emperor's Proposal**

...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...

Step V : 灰の前兆

– Harbinger of the Ash –

...-...-...-...-...-...-...

_Too close…_

"Be responsible for it," a soft yet demanding murmur derived from the supreme leader.

He was standing too close to her. His hot breath against her sensitive ear sprinkled life to butterflies in her stomach, winding her neural circuit into disarray. Everything about him was indiscernible, unfathomable yet vividly ablaze among other existences she had ever observed. The anomalistic curiosity blooming inside her, his uncanny logic beneath the whispered words, slowly, they were charming magical wonder into her indifferent heart.

"Akashi-kun is equally responsible for something else," Kuroko's flat tone prevailed. "Igniting small fire unintentionally is barely tantamount to dominating my attention."

"I was simply staking my claim," the redhead disclosed, "As a precaution to forthcoming threats." His tone turned cold at the mention of the latter part.

The imperious implication confounded her, "Akashi-kun's claim could not be me, could it?"

Akashi pulled a step back from their close proximity, his smile back in place. "Who knows," he returned, "I am not known for quaint humor though."

Presenting him a tiny smile, the girl countered, "On the contrary, it is actually quite interesting being around Akashi-kun."

"Excuse me, Akashi-sama," one of the girls from before called out to him. "That blue towel, if you don't mind, we're going to wash it now," she spared a glance at the blunette.

Kuroko intercepted their commencing conversation, "Please leave it to me." She turned to the redhead who did not have the chance to regard the request, "Akashi-kun, do you mind?"

The captain gave her a fond look in resignation, "Really, what am I going to do without you…"

"Pardon me," she tugged the towel down from its resting place. "Since the practice is finished, I will be taking my leave once I am done."

"Thank you for coming," Akashi nodded curtly. "Be careful on your way home."

"Then, please excuse me for today." Kuroko bowed politely then left the main auditorium without another word.

The girls sighed in disappointment before leaving to tend to their chores.

"Akashi."

He recognized the familiar voice, "Midorima. What is it?"

The vice-captain sent him an inquiring look, "That girl, why did you bring her here?"

"Nothing you should be concerned with," Akashi replied flippantly. "We have to concentrate on another matter at hand."

The green-haired teen accompanied the shorter of the two to the team's locker room, "The upcoming Winter Cup…"

"We could not afford being inattentive this time," a stormy look crossed out his affable feature. "If he participates, undoubtedly, I will be his next target."

Midorima held back an undignified sputter, "Wasn't he suspended from the team after the deed he pulled on our former captain?"

"Their team will not stand a chance without him. Unless they were hiding a trump card under their sleeves, they might as well forfeit Winter Cup." Garnet eyes gleamed with resentment, "I am certainly looking forward to our first Winter Cup."

The door to the locker room swung open from inside. First string's players filed out and excused themselves with collective nods at the duo.

"Yo, Akashi. And Midorima too," Aomine Daiki greeted them upon their entrance.

"Aren't you staying for another practice session?" Midorima walked to his locker.

"Nah… Today's extended practice covered that." The tanned male slid his damp shirt over his midnight-shade hair, revealing chiseled muscles underneath, "Hey, Akashi."

The redhead buttoned up his teal-colored shirt, "Is something bothering you, Aomine?"

"Were you talking to someone before coming here?" Aomine asked with a frown.

"Akashi!" the door slammed shut behind the intruder. "I heard you brought a girl to the auditorium just now!"

The redhead remained composed as he adjusted his tie, "I did not literally bring her there. She came on her own accord." Donning his white blazer, he continued, "Haizaki. Consider this a preemptive disincentive." Akashi removed his bag from the locker, "While I acknowledge your contribution to the team, rotten habit of snatching other people's possession is severely intolerable."

Haizaki scoffed, removing his shirt, "Possessive much, Akashi?"

Midorima and Aomine watched their captain's movement warily, expecting a bomb to detonate anytime soon. They started to get a gist of one another's personal quirks and traits during months they spent together on the team. This side of Akashi, however, was never known to any of them.

Akashi's steps reached the door, "To retain an object of interest, its owner will have to penalize those who overstep the boundary." He clicked the door open and disappeared into the young night.

The three freshmen in the room stared at the closed door, overwhelmed by their captain's words.

"Aomine, do you know the girl?" Haizaki persisted.

The addressed male shrugged, "Beats me."

"Haizaki, that could be your first and last warning," Midorima clued in. "It wasn't an empty threat."

The ashen-haired teen grunted, "It's just Akashi. No big deal."

Neither of the two prodigies bothered to mention how wrong he was.

...-...-...-...-...-...-...

Kuroko arrived earlier at the main auditorium the next day after dropping by the library for a book. Walking to the other side of the court, she set her bag on the floor and found herself a spot to observe the members who were running laps around the spacious area. She wondered since when her eyes attained a habit to search for a particular red-haired captain. Even from afar, she could easily pick out his shorter figure among the others.

"Ten more laps!"

The girl darted her focus elsewhere. Majority of the first string carried out the order with hardened look on their faces. Pondering over obvious facts, she realized there was something amiss. The notable team's captaincy should have belonged to a senior. To appoint a first year as the leader was originally an unlikely occurrence.

_Did something happen to their former captain?_

Kuroko nodded at the redhead who passed by her, earning herself a fleeting smile from him. She took three steps backwards to avoid drawing unwanted attention. A part of her was feeling awkward for being the only outsider in the room.

"Everyone is at their top condition," a female voice reached her.

Whipping her head to the right, she saw Momoi standing beside the person who barked the ten laps order.

"They'd better keep it up for the Winter Cup."

Momoi hummed her agreement, "There should be no problem."

The bespectacled man folded his arms, "With Akashi leading them, we could at least avoid the worst situation."

Kuroko was not delighted by the grim indication behind those words. She presumed observing the training which had proceeded to another session. Some things she noted from her observation included a green-haired teen's exceptional skill at shooting and a sluggish purple-haired giant's strength. Aomine was being his usual self, doing his best with a grin on his face.

_He really likes basketball…_

Her eyes finally landed on Akashi Seijuro who was directing his subordinates with a leveled yet commanding tone. It seemed like he was putting his strategy into actual play to test it out. She was disappointed at her own incapability to fully grasp the basketball's rules and the redhead's strategy.

Noticing the pink-haired girl was about to leave, Kuroko greeted her, "Momoi-san."

"Waaahhhh!" the startled pinkette screamed instantly.

"Oi, Satsuki, what's wrong?" Aomine asked from the court.

Momoi shook her head quickly, smiling sheepishly, "Nothing! Sorry about that!" She turned to the blunette, "Kuroko-san, since when were you here?"

"I have been here for a while," she replied. "Are you going somewhere, Momoi-san?"

The pinkette hoped she could get used to the girl's weak presence as soon as possible. "Daily chores," she sighed. "Waiting for Akashi-kun?"

"Not quite right but…" Kuroko trailed off. "Please let me lend you a hand."

Momoi blinked at her, "Is that okay? Akashi-kun will be upset if he doesn't see you around…"

Kuroko stared blankly at her, "It is fine. Akashi-kun should not find my absence significant at all."

Momoi begged to differ. The reason the girl before her was here was probably because Akashi personally invited her. There was no way he would be fine with her disappearance. Besides, the blunette appeared to be his girlfriend, was it really okay to have her do the club's chores?

"Was that… too much to ask for?"

"…" The pinkette relented at the sight of pleading blue eyes, "Not at all!" She smiled brightly, "We're grateful for the help!"

As the girls went on their way, Akashi smiled to himself. He had some interrogation to do once the practice was over.

...-...-...-...-...-...-...

Kuroko had returned to the auditorium fifteen minutes prior to the end of practice. She did not understand why Momoi was strongly against her handing towels to the boys. Instead, the pinkette had handed her the blue towel from yesterday.

"_That's for Akashi-kun. Don't hand it to any other boy!_" was what she repeatedly reminded.

"Thank you for the practice!" cumulative voices echoed in the auditorium.

Kuroko walked towards the approaching redhead, meeting him by the side of the court.

"Is that for me?" Akashi asked casually.

"Yes," she held out the towel, waiting for the redhead to take it.

Arching his brows incredulously, Akashi asked, "Not going to help me with it?"

Kuroko mimicked the redhead's reaction, "Is it necessary?"

Her expression induced a smile from the captain, "That depends on your discretion." As he lifted his hand, Kuroko reeled in the towel. Akashi looked at her bemusedly, "Changed your mind?"

"Spoiling Akashi-kun after a long day is not a bad idea," a thin smile adorned her lips.

"I might develop a tendency to be in your care," Akashi closed in on her.

Kuroko elevated the towel, "That could be troublesome. Should I stop?"

A light chuckle resonated between them, "That was a rhetorical question." Akashi stared at the girl who was occupied by her task, relishing in her scent of water lilies. "What do you think of the first string's members?"

Marveling at the soft tresses, Kuroko answered, "They are amazing." Her fingers caressed tips of red locks at the base of his neck. "Seeing how much effort they put into practice, I could only conclude they truly like basketball."

A shiver ran down his spine at the direct skin contact, "How about the play style?"

Crystal blue eyes gazed upwards, "I am not familiar with the rules and strategies yet. If I may say, it harbors an offensive play style." She pressed the towel against the left side of his neck, "Especially with players such as Aomine-kun, Midorima-kun and..." she trailed off.

"The tallest player in the string?" Akashi supplied.

"Yes, the one from the restaurant," Kuroko smiled at the recollection. "He is not as enthusiastic as the others but since he did not skip practice, he must be taking basketball quite seriously after all."

"Murasakibara Atsushi. He is a freshman." Akashi inclined his head to the left, giving her access to his right side, "Is there anyone else you found interesting?"

Kuroko gave him an unexpected frown, "Perhaps that person there who had been staring for a while."

The redhead knew whom she was referring to. "Haizaki Shogo…"

"That person is a bit…" Kuroko was unsure how she should relay her remark. To be able to secure a spot within the first string was a proof of his talent as a player. However…

"He is interested in you."

Kuroko halted her ministrations.

"Or rather, he is interested in the girl I settled my eyes upon," Akashi rephrased.

The girl caught on his distasteful undertone, "I am honored but the consequence is not to my liking."

The redhead approved of her vigilance. It was definitely not to his liking as well. "Disregarding my generous disincentive is a wrong move."

Kuroko steered clear from inquiring the meaning behind those words. Her frown deepened at a sudden movement from the other side of the court, "He is coming here." She retrieved the towel and distanced herself from the redhead.

"We will see about that," Akashi looked to his left, nodding at someone.

Kuroko followed his gaze. Midorima, who was in the process of receiving a towel from Momoi, stood a few meters to her right. He said something inaudible to the pinkette and gained a nod in response.

"I see…" Kuroko mumbled. "I should hurry then." She scooped up her bag from the floor.

"I should be going too," Akashi walked by her side out the auditorium's twin green doors.

After a glimpse at the departing pair, Momoi waddled to Haizaki with a mountain of towels in her arms, deliberately bumping slightly into him. The ashen-haired teen supported the towels from toppling over out of reflex.

"Thank you, Haizaki-kun. Could you help me distribute these?"

Haizaki quickly searched for the pair to no avail. "Damn it!" he cursed at his lost chance to confront the pair.

"Oi, what's with your cursing towards Satsuki?" Aomine sauntered closer. "If you're not going to help, just say so." He unloaded the pinkette's burden by half and left with one last displeased look at Haizaki.

"Ah, it seems like I won't need your help anymore, Haizaki-kun," Momoi spun on her heels, leaving the seething male alone to calm himself down.

Midorima heaved a relieved sigh at the unfolding scene.

_Mission accomplished._

* * *

**Author's OTL Note:** Did I just write a husband-and-wife's role play featuring our beloved pairing? :O


	6. Step VI : Another Encounter

**Note : **Rewritten as of June 16 2013.

* * *

**Disclaimer : **I own nothing other than the cover image and non-canon part of the storyline. All applied materials belong to their respective owners.

**Warning : **Female Kuroko.

...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...

**皇帝の提案**

**Emperor's Proposal**

...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...

Step VI : 他の出会い

– Another Encounter –

...-...-...-...-...-...-...

Kuroko cast a glance at her red-haired companion who had been silent since they left the auditorium, expecting him to shed some lights on her abysmal curiosity. At times like these, it dawned on her that being observant did not always guarantee almighty resource of information. Neither was it sufficient to obtain answers to each wonder in life.

"Is there anything you would like to ask?"

His impassive look at the empty field they were walking through deterred her from replying immediately.

"Hesitancy won't serve you well in the long run," Akashi coaxed.

Kuroko lifted her eyes to the darkening sky. "The former captain…What happened to him?"

"It was during our seniors' National Championship in autumn," Akashi started. "That was when we learned of Hanamiya Makoto," disgust was swept under his calm tone. "Due to some _accidents_, Nijimura-senpai is on a temporary leave from club activities."

When the pair stopped by the main gates, Kuroko turned to her companion. "_Accidents_… It couldn't be…"

"…"

Crystal blue eyes widened with horror at the red-head's silence. Now she understood what the coach and Momoi had meant.

"Their coach argued that his punishment should be decided by their school," he went on. "We were informed that he would be suspended, which was highly unlikely since they are enlisted for the Winter Cup's preliminaries."

Kuroko stared at the red-head's seemingly stoic face. "Then… Nijimura-senpai…"

"He won't make it for Winter Cup," Akashi answered her hanging question. "Therefore, my captaincy came with the responsibility for leading the team to victory."

The taut line on his lips pulled a string within her. Drowned in solid resolution garnet eyes were embodiment of the weight he carried on his back. Conviction as well as cryptic message gleamed in the entrancing pair.

"I believe the team will overcome the challenge," Kuroko uttered matter-of-factly.

For a moment, Akashi was stunned speechless by her seemingly groundless words which conveyed a message of '_You are not alone._' They carried neither pity nor demand but comfort and trust.

A smirk camouflaged a smile from surfacing, "Will I get a reward for our secured victory?"

Kuroko contemplated the supreme leader's not-so-tacit request. Admittedly, his way of asking with that assertive tilt of lips ruffled her greatly. "Akashi-kun, Winter Cup is not a bounty-hunting event," she admonished.

Said red-head's smirk widened dangerously, "It will be more interesting with something at stake." Their distance waned as he took a step closer to his object of interest. A velvety whisper transcended the chilly evening air, "Especially if it's from you."

Red hue painted the girl's pale cheeks, gradually growing prominent as his provocative words sank in. "I will think about it," she receded from their proximity.

Noticing the blooming blush on her pale complexion, Akashi liberated an earnest smile in appreciation. "It's not obligatory for you to grant my wish."

Still flushed, Kuroko pitched a childish blink to the red-head, "How about a hug to each member respectively to avoid favoritism, Akashi-kun?"

A headache and something akin to displeasure coiled up as he visualized the girl depositing herself in other boys' waiting arms. "You had better dispose of the foolish idea."

A smile he received afterwards was more than enough for him to decipher her playfulness at his expense.

_Romancing could be a challenging task_, he mused.

...-...-...-...-...-...-...

The talk she had with the red-haired captain last Friday haunted her mind through uneventful weekend. The thought of players resorting to violence during a supposedly fair match drained her patience dry. She could not fathom why people would go as far to clinch victory.

_No… _

That was not what they were aiming for. If that had been the case, they would not have substituted a player near the end of fourth quarter.

It was done on purpose.

As someone who took part in supervising players, their coach should know best each of their habitual inclinations, including those that brought forth twisted philosophy of having fun seeing other people breaking down in front of them.

"_What do you think about the first string's members?_"

Akashi's question had not been perfunctory. Considering the upcoming Winter Cup would be the freshmen's first official match, there should not be any data recording their playing style nor their change in strategy devised by Akashi himself. Thus, he had utilized her observation to determine and ascertain who would be the next target based on brief analysis.

_So that was why the coach let Akashi-kun conduct the strategic play during practice…_

It was not difficult to differentiate Akashi's talent from the others'. If the opposing team possessed a capable coach, they would soon realize the red-haired captain was the core of the team despite the firepower the others would display radiantly. His passes to the right places were direct giveaways.

By default, he would be their main target.

"_Therefore, my captaincy came with the responsibility for leading the team to victory._"

He was aware of it.

The responsibility he mentioned was not limited to being victorious. He had decided that he would–

"Oops!"

Kuroko staggered from the unexpected impact of someone walking into her.

"Sorry, are you okay?" a voice chirped.

Kuroko peered upwards.

_Yellow hair… _

The blonde resisted the urge to squirm under the girl's stare.

"Yes, I am fine," Kuroko replied curtly.

The taller male checked out the petite girl in front of him.

_Acceptable appearance. No sign of giddiness. Neither was there any speck of blush._

Kise Ryota, who had been successively decorating the front page of lifestyle magazine, Zunon Boy, for the past three months, was taken aback. It had been a while since he witnessed such a normal reaction.

"Excuse me," the girl bowed.

He had not sensed the girl's presence earlier. It was as if she had popped out from thin air, which was realistically impossible for a human.

_…Ghost? _

Tiny sparkles glimmered in his eyes at the aberrant thought. "Wait!"

Kuroko assented to his call, "…Yes?"

The model squinted to inspect the girl. Porcelain-like skin sheathed her svelte figure. Waist-length light-color silky hair crowned her heart-shaped face with lucent blue irises coalescing limpid firmament underneath icy blue eyelashes.

_'Acceptable appearance' was an understatement… _

"Is there anything I could be of help?" She kept her attention on the blonde as if she were observing a newly found specimen.

"Kuroko-san!" a female voice called out to her.

"Momoi-san," she returned.

"Oh, Kise-kun is here too," Momoi recognized easily. How could she not when most of her female classmates were going gaga over the young model.

"Good afternoon," the blonde greeted pleasantly.

"Do you know each other?" the pink-haired girl asked, interested but worried at the same time.

Kuroko answered tersely, "No."

Momoi beamed at her, "Akashi-kun doesn't have to worry then!" She sent a sympathetic smile to the blonde, much to his confusion.

"What does Akashi-kun have to do with the matter?" Kuroko asked, similarly confused as the model.

"Isn't it obvious?" Momoi replied with a comprehensible look that was lost to the blunette.

"Not really…" she denied meekly.

"Satsuki!"

The trio shifted their attention to a tanned teen who was striding towards the group. "Aren't you going to the auditorium?" he asked.

"Of course!" Momoi confirmed. "I was on my way when I saw Kuroko-san and Kise-kun."

"Kise-kun?" Aomine peeled an eye wider at the yellow-haired fellow. "Yo, famous model," he grinned.

Coming from a taller male with broader posture than him, Kise was tempted to take that as an insult.

"Momoi, Aomine." A green-haired regular ceased his steps by their side. "Practice is starting soon."

"We're going," Aomine finalized. "Are you coming, Kuroko?"

"Yes," she consented to the invitation and moved forwards to mingle with the group.

"Ara~ Aren't those Mido-chin and the others?" a voice pointed out from behind the blonde. "Hey~ Wait for us~"

Another set of footsteps tread closer, eventually walked past the blonde. The advancing red-haired figure silently weaved into the group, aligning his self by the female blunette's side.

Lilting laughs and curves of smiles pantomimed a typical students' life the model never knew he would ever long for.

"Kise-kun, would you sign this for me?"

The Zunon boy's attention drifted to the quickly forming multitudes of fans around him. "Sure," he added an effervescent smile to dismiss the disturbing sentiment.

...-...-...-...-...-...-...

Akashi and Kuroko walked behind the other teens. Softly, Kuroko asked the deep-in-thought captain, "Does Kise-kun interest Akashi-kun?"

"A little bit," was his reply.

"That _ikemen-kun_?" Aomine looked to his back. "Why?" It was rare for their captain to be particularly interested in anyone. He did not know the deal about the girl beside the red-head but he was sure there must be a reason for her sudden appearance in their circle.

"He has potential," Akashi reasoned vaguely. It was unfortunate the blonde was not a part of the basketball team. With that talent of his, he could have received a uniform in no time, effectively replacing Haizaki in the regular batch.

"Kise-kun is indeed, talented," Momoi agreed. She had heard a lot about the model being capable in any sports from his fan girls in her class. "But he's uninterested in any sports."

Midorima adjusted his glasses, "Isn't it because he's busy working as a part-time model?"

"Woah… Even Midorin heard of him!" the pinkette gasped.

An irritated tic contorted the green-head's features. "I was merely searching for Oha-Asa's limited printed edition when I saw his face on Zunon's cover."

"Hoahmm…" Murasakibara let out a huge yawn. "Who are you talking about?"

Aomine frowned. "That yellow-haired dude you passed by. Didn't you notice him?"

The purple-head recalled, "Ooh… The yellow ranger?"

The nickname gained the others' attention.

"Yellow ranger? Won't that make us a rainbow of rangers, then?" the dark-skin boy blurted.

"Eh?" the group simultaneously convulsed, with the exception of Akashi and Kuroko.

"Akashi-kun as red ranger…" Kuroko stifled a giggle. The mental image tickled her dry sense of humor.

Akashi did not miss the tremble the brave souls before him were sporting. "Should I have _you all_ dressed up as Color Rangers to promote our club coming next spring?"

"I am looking forward to it," Kuroko piped up expectantly.

"You're of no exception if that were to commence," Akashi pulverized her ephemeral glee.

Momoi brightened up, "I think Kuroko-san should be our mascot girl!"

"Won't her lack of presence defy the purpose of being a mascot?" Midorima countered. The conversation was progressively swerving away from the previous topic.

"Midorima-kun is right. I believe Momoi-san is much more suitable," the blunette suggested sagely.

"We have a mascot?" the giant pondered aloud belatedly, hardly interested in anything but snacks at the moment.

Akashi smirked, "Do you wish for one?"

"I do!" Momoi raised her hand with alacrity. "A bunny mascot, please!"

"Why a bunny for _male_ basketball club?!" Midorima exasperated.

"Because it's cute!" the pink-haired girl reasoned, albeit totally unreasonable from the shooting guard's point of view.

"Cuteness is overrated in this case!" Midorima protested despite the fact that an admirable amount of his lucky items was the depiction of cuteness itself.

"Hmm… Kuro-chin in bunny suit?"

"…Bunny girl?" Aomine regretted his spontaneity as soon as he felt twin sweltering gazes on his back.

"I am certainly _not_ going to adhere to that," the female blunette emphasized.

"Could we bring a bunny girl to Winter Cup tournament?" Murasakibara disregarded the refusal.

The bespectacled boy glared at the giant to his left, "Rather than a bunny girl, I wonder if you'll ever bring common sense along with you."

"Speaking of Winter Cup..." Momoi tilted her head to the side. "I will make bento for the regulars during Winter Cup tournament!"

Midorima sighed inaudibly at the random change of topic. Talks about models, bunny girls and mascots were much better than the manager's culinary skill. The latter was a dire threat to be reckoned with.

"Charcoal-like bento, you mean?" Aomine grimaced at the memorable bitter taste.

"The recent one looked awesome, Mine-chin. Its shiny black was a form of arts."

Akashi hummed an agreement, "Genius piece… It surpassed my expectation." Perhaps he should give more credit to their Ace for enduring the torment.

The pinkette gaped, surprised that their leader actually joined in the mundane teasing. "That… That was a one-time failure!"

The boys were reminded of the manager's propensity to serve honey-dipped lemons as naturally in shape as possible. Her good intention over the past months was definitely not a one-time failure.

"Kuroko-san, will you help me with it?" Momoi asked earnestly.

The boys sent a pleading look to the blunette as if their lives depended on her decision. Even the supreme captain was giving her a mildly hopeful look. "My culinary skill is not particularly satisfactory."

"But it is _edible_, isn't it?" Aomine cut in before she could wiggle out of the matter.

"…Maybe," her reply posed uncertainty.

"Dai-chan! What do you mean by _edible_?!" Momoi exclaimed. "My cooking is _fine_. Right, Midorin, Muk-kun?"

"…" the dark blue-haired teen and his two teammates to his left darted their attention elsewhere to avoid eye contact with the pinkette then hastened their pace to the auditorium in sync.

"Dai-chan! Midorin! Muk-kun! You could've at least offered words of consolation!" she ran after them with a pout.

Akashi and Kuroko shared a comfortable silence as they trailed after them. In all honesty, the red-head was not convinced by the girl's earlier reply. "Yours couldn't be that bad, could it?"

Kuroko pressed a forefinger to her chin, "I cook to sustain my life. The taste was never a factor to me. But if I am to cook for other people…"

"You still have time to practice," he reassured. Since the blunette was alive after consuming her own dish, he could safely assume the team would not drop dead due to her bento.

When they reached their destination, Kuroko turned to the red-head and drew a sharp intake of breath. Steeling her features to her usual deadpan one, she requested, "Akashi-kun, please be my first victim."

The captain, who had expected as much, chuckled lightly and replied, "I will survive the trial."

Unbeknownst to her, right at that moment, she had just claimed the right to be his personal chef for days to come.

* * *

**Author's OTL Corner: **This is a rewritten version I completed after writing "Resonance". I apologize for the long wait. Between replying to your reviews and producing the next chapter, I think it's clear to all of us which one is more favorable. No worries, I'll reply to each review in due time.**  
**

Thank you for all the wonderful support to this story so far!


	7. Step VII : Lunch

**Request: **To those who have given up on this fic, please leave this page as I don't want to disappoint you further with my updates.

**Appreciation: **Thank you very much, Shizuku700, no-dang-name-is-available, Vein's-Simply-Tired, LegacyofBlood, and DarkBlueLynx for the reviews on my recently published (fail) fic. It'll be rewritten as soon as I have the time to do so.

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**Clue:** If you have no idea what italicized words in this chapter mean, please consult Uncle Google for further guidance.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing other than the cover image and non-canon part of the storyline. All applied materials belong to their respective owners.

**Warning: **Female Kuroko.

...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...

**皇帝の提案**

**Emperor's Proposal**

...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...

Step VII : ランチ

– Lunch –

...-...-...-...-...-...-...

Incessant beeps of alarm from her cell phone stirred Kuroko awake at the crack of dawn. The blunette wasted no time to begin her morning routine before descending down the stairs to the kitchen in a loose, medium-sleeve mini dress. Even though she had made up her mind to cook for that person, there was nothing extravagant she could present the red-head. Bearing the realization in mind, her wish to earn an acknowledgement from one Akashi Seijuro augmented her nervousness.

To shake off her uneasiness, Kuroko started on the bento by microwaving two airtight containers of rice. She defrosted frozen salted salmon slices afterwards. Putting on her polka-dotted blue apron, Kuroko immediately worked on needed ingredients for _tamagoyaki_ before baking the salmon slices on foil-lined baking sheet in a toaster oven.

Moving on to the stove, she applied oil onto a heating up pan's surface using paper towel. When the heat reached medium-high, Kuroko spread the seasoned egg mixture thinly over the frying pan and poked forming air bubbles flat. Gently, she rolled the cooked egg from one side to the other far side then lifted it up to apply more oil and egg underneath before placing it back on top. The process repeated until the whole mixture took form of a thick roll. She wrapped the hot roll with bamboo mat and let it stand for five minutes.

While waiting, Kuroko decorated a two-tier lacquer box with thin slices of _kamaboko_, cherry tomatoes, leftover Japanese potato salad and _furikake_-sprinkled rice. The ready _tamagoyaki_ was cut into pieces and arranged into the box together with the baked salmon.

Realizing it was almost time for school, Kuroko tidied up the kitchen before changing out of her dress into her uniform. On her way out, she slipped a letter she fetched from the mailbox into her bag.

Classes droned on as usual without a hitch for Kuroko. That was how outsiders would have considered if they had spared a glance her way. Sadly, her lack of presence still had the same old phantom-like influence on humans. Occasionally, a discontented tiny voice inside her would rumble in protest when she failed to sweep the prickle of being forgotten under the rug.

_…Am I being selfish?_

Such a thought had not crossed her mind since she made her first childhood friend. She was so happy back then to have someone noticed her, called out to her, and offered friendship despite her unique flaws. There was no regret in her even if she had reverted to the lonely child from her early ages the moment he left the neighborhood.

一期一会, a term a tea master had introduced her the first time she attended a tea ceremony. The term harbored '_Once-in-a-lifetime encounter_' insight, a concept she had been apprehending ever since. She believed her meeting with him was unmistakably one of those precious threads interlacing her life.

...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-.. .

_Hey, Kuroko!_

_How're you faring in Teiko?_

_As for me, I got my uniform recently! Still on the bench though._

_I heard that Teiko is very strong. I want to go against them at least once!_

_I'll have to work hard to be a starter first. Make sure you come when our schools fight it out!_

_- Ogiwara Shigehiro -_

...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-.. .

Her lips were festooned in a smile as she read the letter from her childhood friend. Subconsciously, her poker face melted into a rarely seen expressive countenance that radiated warmth and subtle glee.

The sight astonished one Akashi Seijuro.

Here he was, standing by the door to his object of interest's class, silently waiting for one of her classmates to alert her of his visit. Being an observant entity himself, he did not miss a piece of paper in her clutch, nor the subdued surprise on her features when a brunette relayed her of his presence.

"Kuro-chan, someone's looking for–" the brunette paused, her mocha-colored eyes turned saucer-like. "Is that a LOVE LETTER?!"

The obnoxious exclamation commanded a stampede of tramples onto his stagnant pool of tranquility. Unaccounted scenarios flitted in his mind, rather disturbing if he were to be honest with himself.

The brunette shook her head in dismissal when Kuroko was about to explain herself. The letter, which was already in the blue-eyed girl's bag, could wait. She doubted the young master outside their class would be pleased if they made him wait any longer. "Akashi Seijuro-_sama_ is _waiting_ for you."

Kuroko suddenly dreaded meeting the captain for a reason. Nevertheless, she grabbed her bento box and walked towards the door. She had a mixed feeling about the ring of girls surrounding the striking male. The curve of smile on his lips as the girls engaged him in small talks did nothing to neutralize her quandary.

"Akashi-kun," she greeted.

The girls parted upon hearing her monotonous voice, shock written on their faces.

"Kuroko," the red-head acknowledged. "Shall we?" he asked, offering a helping hand to ease the girl's load.

Kuroko vocalized an agreement, handing over the bento box.

"Please excuse us," Akashi said to the other females, leaving them to their disbelief and bewilderment.

Kuroko fell in step with the red-haired captain, wondering where they would have their lunch. The pair stopped by a vending machine for two bottles of sugar-free green tea before Akashi led their way to rooftop, much to his companion's surprise.

"This is your favorite spot, is it not?" he asked, as if reading her mind.

"…How did Akashi-kun find out?" Anomalous ideas started bombarding her somewhat way-too-creative mindset.

His answer was simply the same gentle smile he flashed those girls. "I just do."

Kuroko let it slide, deeming it impossible to attain an elaborate version. Instead, she followed the red-head out to the open space, took a seat in the shade beside him and removed two slim black lacquer boxes containing a pair of chopsticks in each from the _furoshiki_ wrapped around their bento box.

Akashi stared at the golden bamboo prints on the shiny black surface of the bigger container. The design reminded him of virtues it represented in symbolism that ran deep in Japanese history he had covered a long time ago. Unaware of his musing, the blunette lifted the lid, revealing assortment of dishes. For someone who claimed to comprise an imperfection in culinary, she sure could pack a convincing set of balanced meal.

_Not bad at all._

Kuroko offered the upper tier to her companion. With rapt attention, she observed him maneuver the chopsticks. His refined manner in bending his fingers displayed distinct gracefulness she rarely saw.

_It was beautiful…_

"Kuroko, why is yours of lesser portion than mine?" Akashi asked with a hint of disapproval.

The question diverted her focus from his fingers to those garnet eyes of his. "It is my usual portion," she replied, moving her own tier onto her lap.

"You should increase your intake of food," Akashi chastised, about to transport a slice of his _tamagoyaki_ to the girl's box.

Kuroko halted his chopsticks with hers at once. "Please don't, Akashi-kun. I could not consume more than what my necessity demands."

Her swift reflex and precision in pinning down his utensil was a surprise to the red-head. "One slice of _tamagoyaki_ could hardly be considered substantial," he retorted.

"But…" she tried to reason though soon faltered under the unflinching look the captain set on her.

Akashi's satisfaction materialized into a smile as he piled the egg onto hers before taking a bite off another slice. "…"

Silence reigned over the pair. Kuroko's attempt to gather the supreme leader's opinion from his facial features failed miserably. Curious, she also took a small bite off her own _tamagoyaki_. "…"

Akashi imprinted her dignified propriety in handling the utensil and her preference in small bites of food on his memory. "It's good," he soothed with an affable smile when a small frown of confusion impaired her visage.

"It is… good?" Kuroko repeated, as if she had not heard him right.

Akashi, whose chopsticks were aiming for the baked salmon, paused to drop a genuine wish, "I could get used to this." He had avoided specifying whether it was her dishes that he could get used to or her presence that would always come along with it. If one selfish wish of his should ever be granted, it would entail both at once.

"Thank you, Akashi-kun."

Light blue strands cascaded over her small shoulders as she shifted her gaze to the bento on her lap. A smile visibly adorned her lips even though her face was veiled by the soft strands from his viewpoint.

"Thank _you_, indeed."

A gnawing question within him was left unanswered. This line he was standing on had yet to grant him the right to pry into the matter. When it began to blur, he would make sure victory would tip to his favor in the end.

...-...-...-...-...-...-...

Tuesday.

It was her day-off from library duty. There was only a place she could think of going at the moment. A place where she could find a certain red-haired captain and hard-willed individuals practice until late evening. With light steps and microscopic tugs at the corners of her lips, Kuroko headed to the auditorium.

Upon entering the spacious area, she realized there was something unusual.

_He is not here…_

Slightly crestfallen, though not visible from her appearance, Kuroko approached a familiar green-haired teen who was conversing with the team's manager. "Good afternoon, Midorima-kun, Momoi-san."

Their prompt reactions were normal occurrences in Kuroko's life.

"Kuroko! Don't sneak up on us!" the bespectacled boy admonished after letting out an unbecoming shout of surprise.

"Good afternoon, Kuroko-san! Looking for Akashi-kun?" Momoi was quick to guess the blunette's intention after calming down from a jolt.

"Akashi, Haizaki, and the second-stringers are sent out to a practice game against Kamata Nishi today," Midorima supplied without further ado.

The name _Haizaki_ reminded Kuroko of the ashen-haired teen whom she saw the other day. It brought up an unsettling premonition.

The pinkette unfolded, "It should've been Midorin as our backup while I gather some data but just now…" She did not understand why the head coach had substituted Midorima with their captain, seeing as the latter was rarely sent out for mere practice games.

"Momoi, since she's here already, shouldn't you both get going?" Midorima suggested, adjusting his glasses.

"…Both?" Kuroko questioned, confounded.

"Don't worry! Akashi-kun had got the coach's permission," the pinkette smiled encouragingly, tugging the blunette along with her.

"But why would Akashi-kun…" the blunette trailed off uncertainly.

Momoi hummed, "Hmm… Moral support, perhaps? Like, recharging when exhausted?"

_Moral support? Recharging? …Battery? _

That made no sense whatsoever to Kuroko. If anything, it injected a whole new dose of confusion into her system. Watching a match to learn something new was much more productive than mulling over incomprehensible theory behind the manager's words.

Momoi continued to pull the unresisting blunette until they reached the gathered second string's members.

"Momoi and Kuroko, is it?" the second string's coach asked, hiding his puzzlement neatly. He had not heard about the first string appointing a new manager recently. However, even if they did, it was not within his authority to be judgmental of their decision.

Kuroko bowed courteously, "_Yoroshiku onegaishimasu._"

The coach nodded before turning to the first string's captain. "Did you get a hold of him?"

"He'll be here shortly," was his reply. Putting away his phone, Akashi turned to face the blue-eyed maiden. "I should have informed you earlier," he sighed. The short notice he received when lunch break was almost over gave him no time to invite her personally.

"It is fine, Akashi-kun," Kuroko assured. Better yet, she wondered if she should ask the captain about what the pink-haired manager had meant by _recharging_.

"There he is!" Momoi announced the ashen-haired member's long-awaited arrival.

"Yo~" the aforementioned teen yawned as he strutted towards the group.

"You're late," Akashi reproached, a crisp warning lacing his voice.

"I overslept," Haizaki replied nonchalantly, his stare sharp with challenge.

Kuroko observed the interaction from the side, trying to weaken her presence even more to avoid unnecessary contact with Haizaki. Her breaths stopped momentarily when those garnet eyes she had come to fancy narrowed into dangerous slits at the issued challenge.

"Let's go!" the coach's instruction dispersed the heated glaring competition.

Kuroko sincerely hoped the rising tension would not affect their match.

* * *

**Author's OTL Note:** Honestly, did you miss this fic, folks? :o


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